In Teotihuacan, red was associated with the east, with dawn, and with the moment the Sun overcomes darkness and restarts the cycle. The fact that these two Tlaloc figures are specifically red may associate them with the beginning of a new cycle. The symmetric doubling of the figure reinforces that reading. The quincunx in the border—a circle surrounded by rectangles—was the symbol of the complete universe, the center and the four directions gathered into a single form. To frame deities within that symbol is to place them at the exact center of the cosmos.

The figure depicted navigating at the top of this mural is one of the most enigmatic in Tepantitla. Enclosed in a diamond shape, it bears Tlaloc attributes and holds a sacrificial knife—but what draws the most attention is the vessel: it does not correspond to any type of canoe documented in the central highlands. However, structures that appear to have served as landing points for small watercraft have been found along the banks of the San Juan River near the Citadel.